Are teachers allowed to use mobile phones in class?

[hulahoopsilove]

Ds just said the teacher yr4 got her mobile out and was taking pictures of his work...artwork.

I thought mobiles were banned surely to safe guard children.

I have texts beeping through every so often. I also have a zombie alarm from the Xmas hols that goes off in my bag at 11.30 every day & which has become a running joke with all 4 of the classes I teach at that time on different days.

They'd be terribly disappointed if I cancelled it!

I'd never reply to a text or answer a call whilst teaching though - we have a specific clause in our staff IT policy prohibiting this, which is largely uncontroversial - the Head had far more resistance when he tried to ban the use of Facebook/twitter by staff, on phones, during the lunch hour...

I have mine out and regularly update FB, criticising the kids in the room...

Or maybe mine is out as I use it to play music to accompany some activities, connect to the IWB to project some apps and use the clock when my wall clock has no batteries.

Still feel most parents would be shocked if they knew. Spoke to my friend who is a nursery manager and she was shocked. All her stack have to leave them in their lockers

ironic isn't it? In 3 years time when your dc is in secondary you'll be on about how they need a phone for 'safety'.

If a teacher is a peadophile then banning their mobile phone is hardly going to be a big deterrent. In fact perhaps it would make them easier to catch.

I'm a parent.... I'm not shocked....

Would you like the teachers who take the kids out to the park to not have a mobile phone with them, how about when they do forest school way down the back of the playing field.... my goodness they could take pics of the kids .... or ring for help when the epileptic child has a fit, or a careless one got a stick in his eye..... if it is ok in those situations, then it is ok in a classroom..

I'm a parent. Why would I be shocked that a teacher had a phone - or even checked it occasionally in class time?

I have my phone on my desk. On silent. I do this since DS had an accident at his school, my mobile was in my bag, his school left a message with reception at my school and the receptionist didn't think to get it sent to me, despite it saying urgent, it was on the notice board and I had three hours of teaching before I went down there. Luckily I checked my phone between lessons which I don't normally do. Had to leave and get DS in hospital ...

I think you're over-reacting.

Our policy, which is bog standard as issued by the council, is phones are not allowed in certain areas of the school. THey are allowed in classrooms, and can be used to take pictures. However, everything has to be deleted at the end of the day.

Not sure really what the issue is. Educators need to take evidence of work. This cannot always be the actual work but video/pictures of the work, which is then added to the database. To do this, you need access to a camera. Not all classes have cameras. Not all classes have an ipod, and so at times educators have to use their own devices, sometimes phones and sometimes their own cameras.

I'd never use my mobile for pictures in class. I use a school camera or a school tablet. Would never dream of using my own phone. There's enough technology to use in school. Absolutely no need for phone.

I'd use my phone in an emergency but leave it switched off during lessons. Switch it on if I'm off site (swimming etc) but would never use it for personal calls.

If work needs to be documented schools should provide cameras

Ha ha ha maybe they should... but in reality, many don't have a camera for every class, and if they do, they are often old, clunky and run on AA batteries that run out every 5 minutes. Where do you suggest they magic up the money for sets of new cameras at £60 or so a pop for ones with integral batteries?

I'm not sure I see your problem anyway. Surely any photo the staff take on their mobile could be taken on a school camera and vice versa, then used in exactly the same way? If the class teacher you are talking about was determined to take and use 'dodgy' photos, why would this be any easier on a camera phone than a school camera?

You comment on nurseries- but surely these are very different in that many children in them cannot communicate what has gone on as clearly as school age children?

Not quite sure what I'm supposed to be shocked about- could you tell me please?(

My dd's teacher has her phone in the classroom. I know this because her beloved teacher from last year, who is now at another school, sends text messages to the entire class through the current teacher's phone. The kids all think this is marvellous, and I think it's really sweet that she makes the effort to keep in touch.

It's possible that dd's teacher checks other messages from time to time, but I can't really get upset about it. Thing is, I trust the teacher to do a good job, because she is extremely conscientious and she cares about what she does. Whether or not she reads the odd text in the classroom makes no odds to me at all, as I know that my dd is safe, happy and making fantastic progress.

I doubt she is 'always texting and making calls' regardless of what is said. Just another example of teaching bashing. Poor woman tries to capture an image of a nice piece of work by your child and this is your reaction. I frequently film and photograph children performing/acting in my lessons on my own ipad because the school doesn't have this available. Children love to see the films played back in class. Funnily enough I don't then store them (I like the memory on my device for my own apps and filming my own kids) nor do I use them for evil purposes. That is because I am a professional. DDs school puts photos in their reports, which I love, and we get a dvd of photos at the end of the year. Lovely memories. Why the hell would any normal parent object to their child being photographed in class or a photo being made of their work? Do we really live in such a frightened society that parents genuinely suspect the teachers are predators or will expose their children to danger?

There is a very disturbing trend of threads on here where parents seek to turn every thing a teacher does into a reason to criticise. The overwheming majority of teachers are hugely professional and hugely hard working. Taking photos of work in class is not unprofessional. It is not a reason to be shocked. It should not be a reason to further quiz a young child in the hopes of finding 'evidence' that the teacher answered a call in class. Maybe a child was sick, maybe a relative was dying, maybe she was taking a call from a parent - all reasons I have answered my phone during a lesson. Luckily the children I teach are a lot more understanding of this that some posters on here.

Bloody hell, the professionally offended never cease to amaze me.

And this attitude about schools should provide cameras - there's no money to do so!

Get a grip.

Euphemia- you don't enforce uniform while not wearing one yourself, do you??????

I have no problem with teachers having mobiles but I think the question has come about as most non-school early years settings have banned staff from having mobile phones on them at work in response to the Nottingham thing.

Teachers are trusted much more than early years practitioners.